The Moonlit Thread
by Sillycritter
Summary: Rick's life is pretty unpredictable, and so is Morty's whenever he joins his grandfather on his zany adventures around the galaxy...but for one full day out of the year, in secret, Rick follows a very carefully planned out routine...and, on this particular day, on this particular year, he decides to take his grandson with him. Takes place somewhere between Season 1 and Season 2.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Rick and Morty". They are owned solely by Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon.

 **Author's Note:** So, I thought this might be a one-shot, but I guess it's turning into a short chapter-story! (Some things you just have to take your time with.) **Note:** Planet ZA is part my own creation, part inspired by the "Leisure Planets" from "Doctor Who".

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Birds were happily singing and the sun was just rising through the trees.

Morty Smith was hiding deep under the covers, still sleeping. He'd pulled a rare all-nighter for a major math test he'd be taking that Friday. Today was Wednesday, the beginning of prep day in math class. Sleep was his only respite from his studies (his parents had strictly forbade Rick to take him on any journies until his studies were a little more under control), but even during sleep, elusive math equations followed him left and right like the plague.

"And a - b = -zzzzz….," Morty receited in his sleep before his snores took over once again, this time even louder than before.

He was just falling into a peaceful drifting slumber when, without warning, the sheets were yanked off of his poorly insulated body, and Morty's eyes popped open with a shriek-it felt like he'd been dipped in an ice bath, the air was so shockingly cold!

"Jeeesus schiznets, Mortimer-are you aware that your scream resembles a traumatized little girl's?"

Morty looked up to see Rick's looming, unshaven features hovering over him, breathing a horrible stench of stale liquor right in his face. _Just what he wanted to see first thing in the morning._

"Geeze, Rick! Whatever happened to giving someone a, a, a, I dunno, a little _privacy_ , huh?!" Morty fumed as he hugged his shivering body to himself, glowering vengefully over at his grandfather. "I-I'm, I'm a, a-a-a-a _teenager_ , you know? I, I have the 'Do Not Disturb' sign on my door for a _reason_! You, you can't just barge in here like-"

"Okay, okay, Morty, quit your yappering already." Rick tossed his grandson the set of newly pressed clothes that were draped over Morty's desk chair. "Get dressed," Rick ordered simply as he turned his back to look the other way. "We've got a full day ahead of us and I don't want to be behind schedule. Come on now don't dilly dally, let's go."

Morty sat on his bed in shock. "I've got school today Rick! Mom and Dad will be furious if-if-if I went with you today!"

A rise in Rick's voice silenced him. "Forget school Morty! School can wait!"

"B-b-b-but I have a test on Friday!" Morty had to force himself not to hyperventilate. "I-i-i-it's gonna determine my scores for the rest of the year! I'm already failing most of my classes, Rick!"

"Listen Morty," Rick said to the wall, "life is going to ruin you if you don't figure out how to mix things up a little."

"That-that's easy for you to say!" Morty shouted in spite of himself; he was furious. "You already went through high school! You don't have to deal w-w-with stupid tests, a-a-a-and bullies harassing you, and-and teachers breathing down your neck all day…." Morty finished the sentence by trailing off, too exhausted to continue.

An awkward silence filled the air, during which Morty could hear his heartbeat. He felt a little bad about yelling, but he was so stressed out, and Rick was so old, he'd probably forgotten altogether what those days were like.

Finally, Rick turned around to face him, but the expression on his face was one not easily decipherable. (At least, Morty thought, he didn't seem angry.) More like...tired? Morty couldn't be sure. (But then again, with Rick, it was never easy to be sure.)

"Yeah," Rick said (was that a bit more bitterness than usual in his voice?) "No shit-Earth education sucks balls, Morty. and that's why I'm taking you to the best damn school there is." Rick pointed upwards, through the window, where the sunlight was scattering in all directions, creating mosaics of rainbow colors on the ceiling, and all about the room.

Morty watched the dancing rainbows, then looked over at the pile of clothes sitting in front of him. He knew, in his heart of hearts, that Rick was right.

Rick Sanchez was _always_ right.

Xxxxxxxxxxxx

"So….where did you say we were going, uh, again, Rick?" Morty asked tiredly as they sped along in the spaceship, already a few hundred lightyears from Earth. All around them were stars, billions upon billions of stars. It was making Morty sleepy, watching all those stars whiz on by. He wasn't about to let on to Rick, but secretly, he wished he'd stayed in bed.

"What I _said_ , Morty, is that you're in for a surprise," Rick returned with marked annoyance as he tinkered idly with the radio, trying unsuccessfully to find a good music station, "so, quit asking me questions or it can't be a surprise."

"Qu-quit playing games, Rick!" Morty glowered from his seat where he was trying desperately to nod off. "It's, like, 8am in the morning and I still haven't had my breakfast!"

"Way to be a buzzkill, Morty-I'm taking you to one of the best digs in the freaking Universe so don't be such a Neighing Nancy."

"I'm not a-not a-a-a-a _what_?" Morty blinked back at Rick with confusion.

"Nothing. Not important. Oooo _yeah_! Fina-fucking-ly!" With triumph, Rick released his hold on the radio's knob, a satisfied expression on his face, having finally found what he was looking for.

They continued to speed along in the inky darkness, as they'd hit a pocket of Universe where there were fewer stars, only a couple of breathtakingly beautiful nebulae passing them by. Morty pressed his face against the glass, mesmerized by the cacophany of cloudy colors, filled with a multitude of different suspended gas formation. (It never ceased to amaze him when they came almost face-to-face with one of these things; prior to his adventures with Rick, he'd only seen their images on the computer or in books.) Things like this made him glad he'd come along. _If only his math teacher could see him now!_

"Wh-where are we, Rick?" Morty asked as Rick began to take them down towards a nearby planet. It was red much like the color of Mars, only it had both red, orange and, like Earth, some blue and green mixed in as well. "Wh-what planet is this?"

"This is Planet ZA, Morty," Rick announced as they slowly came in for a landing. "It's a place where aliens from all different civilizations come to relax and uuuunwind. The place is literally-and I mean literally-crawling with resorts! Or rather, the resorts can literally crawl themselves. They can teleport from place to place around the planet, like an inter-dimensional cruise."

"Cool!" Morty exclaimed with sincere amazement, his exhaustion and testing troubles all but forgotten.

Rick chuckled as he landed them carefully right in the parking lot of his favorite Planet ZA restaurant, which was called the Silken Cocoon.

Stomach growling, Morty got out of the car then halted in his tracks, staring straight ahead and cringing. "Eeeew-why is there a _spider_ on the sign? We-we're not eating insects here, are we, Rick?" Morty winced as he took in the sight of the restaurant.

"Shhh Morty! The owner of this place is real picky about etiquette here!" Rick hushed him quickly as he shooed him aside, "this place is about as good as it gets-you don't wanna make enemies with him-they'll put slime and insect guts in your food!"

"Yuck!" Morty groaned covering his eyes with his hands. "Do we hafta go in here, Rick? If the owner's so mean, wh-why do you like this place then?"

"I'm a long-time customer Morty and they know me here," Rick said voice low, "and you're not gonna ruin my reputation here, Morty!"

"What do they feed you here anyway?" Morty glared back at him, "Worms? Crickets? I'm not eating frogs Rick!"

"No-no frogs here, Morty-it's just good plain old food Morty-just-just calm the fuck down, dammit Morty! Y-you're making a scene!"

"Okay- _fine_!" Morty snapped back at him in a huff, "let's, let's just get inside, okay? It's sweltering hot out here and my throat's all dry."

Together they went inside, where a satisfyingly cool interior greeted them, along with their evening's host: a creature that, to Morty, resembled a giant cockroach-which made Morty shrink back with a surprising slap of fear.

"Wh-wh-wh-what's that, Rick?" he whispered fiercely in his grandfather's ear.

"Don't stare, Morty! This here is my old friend Lucifer! Hey Lu!" Rick shouted out, "long time no seee!"

"Rick Sanchez!" Lucifer proceeded to reveal what might have been a smile (it was hard for Morty to tell exactly where his mouth was), as he moved forward and extended on of his feelers. "Great to see you-your return has been way overdue!"

"Yeah well you know-I got a little erm, 'domesticated' since we last spoke," Rick added hastily with a short nod in Morty's direction.

Morty shrank back behind Rick as Lucifer peered down at him over his spectacles. "And if you don't mind me asking Rick, who do you have here with you today? I don't recall seeing him before."

"This here's my grandson Morty, Lu," Rick announced with a much-too-hard slap of approval on the back (much to Morty's chagrin). "This is his first time to the Silken Cocoon-so please give him the works-and my usual spot."

"One table by the window with the works, coming up," Lucifer called out the order with a wink in Rick's direction.

Morty, though relieved he didn't have to shake the insect's feeler in greeting, wondered if perhaps going to school might have actually been better than this. Somehow, he was beginning to regret having his usual homemade breakfast instead.) He followed Rick to the table, wondering what else, on this crazy adventure, Rick might have up his sleeve.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Rick and Morty".

 **Author's Note:** I was inspired for this chapter by California's La Brae Tar Pits which can be found in Los Angeles. Petroleum is one of the things created by the tar pits, which is a substance used to make gasoline. I've always found it fascinating that our fuel is actually created by fossils, and we depend on what's left behind of ancient organisms. It's actually microscopic bacteria, or single-celled organisms, that created petroleum- not dinosaurs as initially believed...but this chapter is inspired by this wrongful theory.

 _ **~~~[Back on Planet Za]~~~**_

"Wow R-Rick, this is actually pretty good!" Morty said as he happily chomped down on his Wormhole-style pancakes (they were fluffy pancakes stacked together with an open hole going all the way through, and oozing neon purple jam out of the top). "I, I'm pretty impressed actually, you really know how to pick 'em!"

"Told ya!" Rick relaxed back in his seat looking pleased, patting his stomach with a large and satisfied smile. "They have the best fair in the entire galaxy, Morty! Lu is also one of the best fr-friggin' chefs I've ever met, and, believe me, I've met a lot of bad ones!"

"So-what are we gonna do after breakfast?" Morty was wide awake now and ready for anything.

"Eat up, kid," Rick ordered him with a knowing smile, "you'll find out soon enough!"

xxxxxxxxx

"Wait- _this_ ? This is what you wanted to show me, Rick?"

Morty stood looking out over an expansive and swampy wasteland, filled with a hot bubbling liquid that gurgled and spat a sizzling lava-like substance every few seconds. It wasn't exactly the kind of thing he wanted to witness right after eating-the place stank horribly, the smell something he couldn't entirely pinpoint, but it was something like a cross between burnt rubber and rotting flesh.

"Wh-what the hell Rick? I-I, I don't get it! Wh-what the hell _is_ this place?" Morty eyed his grandfather with confusion, as Rick was staring out at the tarry swamp with what he could almost call a serene-like expression on his face (which Morty found highly unnerving; since when did Rick ever look so blissful? The answer was, of course, never).

"Yeeah, this place, it's reeeally the pits, Morty," Rick nodded with agreement to his grandson before adding with a smirk, "and it literally is actually called the 'Pits'. It's actually known as the legendary Zapharon Pits-it's a pretty historical landmark of this planet. This, this stuff you see down there, Morty? It's like tar mixed with quicksand and it, it can kill you in an instant if it comes in contact with you, Morty. This planet uses it for fuel like we use oil back on Earth."

Morty's legs shook in anticipation as he stared down at the exploding bubbles. "Th-then why even come here at all? Wh-what if one of those bubbles gets, uh, big enough to send it up here? I-I'm outta here, Rick-this place isn't safe at all!" Determined, Morty started to head back to the car, but he was yanked backwards in spite of himself by Rick, who pulled him back towards the railing was positioned between themselves and the swamp.

"Th-this stuff is a once-in-a-lifetime sight, Morty!" Rick hissed in Morty's face, breathing all kinds of noxious scents in his face, "P-pretty soon there won't be any of this stuff left, and this planet is going to go completely to waste-they're using it all up to run their resorts, Morty! You know what that stuff is down there? I-it's recycled dead alien waste-you know what will happen when they run out, Morty?"

"P-pack up and leave?" Morty voiced his own wishes in spite of himself. Meanwhile he was desperately trying to avoid eye contact with the swamp; the smell was starting to burn his eyes and churn his stomach.

"Th-there's gonna be a huge world-wide war here, Morty," Rick whispered intensely in Morty's ear, "everyone is going to start killing each other so they can turn their enemies into fuel! It's going to become a full-blown cross-species genocide!"

"Oh God-that's awful!" Morty cried, shutting his eyes at the thought.

"So-y-y-you gotta lower me down there, Morty," Rick told him, "so that I can get a sample of that stuff."

"What!?" Morty exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at his grandfather with shock, "you want to go down in there? But-but-won't you get burned?"

"Protective gear Morty," Rick said with a nod back in the direction of the car, "I always come prepared! Now hold tight to my ankles," he added promptly, "and lower me down over the rail!" Morty watched with astonishment as Rick whipped out a small glass vial, and proceeded to climb over the railing.

"Oh God...Oh God..." Morty whimpered as he rushed to his grandfather's side, eyes wide and looking all around for onlookers, "Shit Rick-w-w-w-we can't do this; we, we're gonna get caught!"

"Stop being a baby and grab onto my feet already!" Rick snapped as he crouched down towards the ledge. Still whimpering, Morty bent and did as he was told, fearing as he did so that he might not be as strong as Rick liked to believe he was-though, somehow, as Rick let himself drop, he realized Rick was a whole lot lighter than he'd imagined him to be.

"Rick! Hurry up-I can't stand the smell-I'm gonna be sick!" Morty shouted as Rick shielded his face as he attempted to fish for the liquid with his vial.

"These things can't be rushed Morty! YoUUUGH gotta do it right!" Rick finally managed to snag enough of the stuff, which he promptly covered up, adding, "Okay-pull up, Morty, pull up!"

Gritting his teeth, Morty pulled and yanked as hard as his small frame would allow, and finally, Rick was back on the ledge, with the full vial and a beaming, triumphant smile on his face.

"Good work, Mortimer," Rick commemorated his grandson, patting Morty on the back with what, to Morty's surprise, appeared to be genuine gratitude, "you might just have helped save several entire species from self-destruction-and earned your grandpa a few thousand schmeckles!"

Morty watched, horrified, as his grandfather did a little dance beside the vehicle, laughing and waving his hands as he exclaimed with more excitement than Morty had seen in awhile, "Ohhh yeah-Weeee're gonna be _riiiich_ , dawg!"


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Rick and Morty". They belong to one Justin Roiland and Dan Harmon, and Adult Swim.

 **Author's Note:** As a reader, you should know I don't condone ANYTHING Rick does to Morty in this chapter. Rick does a lot of things on the show that would be considered pretty corrupt. (Then again, this is Adult Swim, where pretty much anything goes.) This chapter definitely contains some things that would be considered corrupt. They are not things I would do, nor agree with being done. While I don't condone his actions, I do have to keep him in character. Therefore I am **temporarily changing** this story to **rated K** ( **possibly K+** ) or otherwise **PG-13.**

"Rick-aren't Mom and Dad going to be, I dunno, worried when I don't come back around three thirty?" Any other day, Morty might have been enamored with the pretty girls that hung on Rick's backside. But right now all Morty could do was pace back and forth, worry creasing his features, lost in thought.

"Boy what a buzzkill!" Rick rolled his eyes in response, reclining lazily back onto the sofa of their day-suite, and letting one of the lovely ladies drop luscious red grapes inside his mouth. Several empty and half-empty bottles lay on the ground at his feet. "You know Morty," Rick drooled, "most guys only dream about moments like this! Here," Rick tossed him a beer bottle, adding, "go crazy, you won't find this quality stuff anywhere else!"

"I'm-I'm a _teenager_ , Rick!" Morty shouted angrily, stomping his foot in frustration, "I don't drink! I-I _can't_! I-I-I-I'm _underage_!"

"Underage, smunderage," Rick snorted with a scoff. "You better not pass up the massage I booked you at twelve-thirty in room B, Morty...that's already cost me quite a few of my schmeckles."

"Massage? B-but that's not for kids, Rick," Morty scolded.

"This planet doesn't care about stuff like that, Morty," Rick explained, trying not to let his exasperation with his grandson get to him, focusing mainly on the pretty women as they sidled sexily up to him and left smeared lipstick on his chin. "Now do both of us a favor-go find yourself some fun and get the hell out of my hair."

"Hey-you're the one that decided to bring me along on this stupid trip!" Morty fumed, outraged by his grandfather's shunning. "You didn't have to take me!"

"Yeah maybe next time I won't," Rick retorted as he sucked on one of the women's fingers which was covered with a generously thick portion of homemade jam.

"Fine!" Morty shouted.

"Fine!" Rick yelled.

"GAH!" Morty exploded and stomped his way out of the room, slamming the door behind him.

 _A massage at twelve thirty..._.Morty had never had a massage before, and he wasn't sure at all what to expect. (Though the idea of a pretty girl rubbing his shoulders with some kind of buttery smelling lotion was something he knew he could handle.) He was however a little irked that Rick had set the whole thing up without asking him. _Figures he wouldn't ask what I wanted,_ Morty thought bitterly to himself as he retreated to what Rick had designated as his own quarters.

The room itself was elaborate, with a great view of the mountains in the distance. There was a bed with a canopy, a desk, a chair, and the furniture's wood was so smooth you could see your own reflection in it. There was even a big screen TV, and when Morty turned it on, he noticed it had the same channels as when Rick transformed their cable at home to include channels from all different dimensions. He was watching, transfixed, when there was a soft knock on his door.

"Mr. Smith?" an equally soft voice asked. A soft... _female_ sounding voice.

Morty froze, staring at the door in shock-then realized what time it was. "C-come in," he allowed as he quickly shut off the TV.

The door opened and Morty nearly fainted at the sight before him. One of the most gorgeous females he'd ever seen. She looked human but with light fur instead of skin, and she had floppy dog-like ears and a rosy-cheeked face. She was dressed half-naked, stood in the doorway. The woman wore part leather bikini and part sillk lingerie. Morty gaped at her front then quickly looked away. "E-e-e-erm I think you got the wrong room," he blurted out without looking her way.

"You...are Mr. Mortimer Smith?" the woman asked, equally sounding surprised.

Morty blinked, staring in shock. "Y-yes, but, b-b-b-but how do you-"

"I am Miss Eleanor...you are the one who ordered the exotic massage for twelve thirty...?" The female half questioned, clearly confused.

Morty blinked, feeling ill as a realization came over him. " 'Exotic...massage'?" Morty grimaced and held his face in the palm of his hand. "Oh my God...I, I can't believe he did this!"

"You...don't want the massage then...correct?" Eleanor's eyes were following him; he could feel them on the back of his head.

"What? NO! I don't want the massage! I-I-I-I'm only 15 and I-I-I-I...I'm still a-a, a, a, a, a-a a VIRGIN! Okay!?" The words flew out of Morty's mouth before he could stop them. As soon as they left his lips, he was mortified-did I actually just say that to a complete stranger!?-"Please just go!" he shouted at her. "I-I didn't book the appointment, it was my grandfather, okay? He, he's just a sick bastard! Please, just go." The words trailed off in a whimper and Morty collapsed onto the bed, exhausted.

"I...I'm sorry," the woman called Eleanor said, as she went over to Morty and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder; he flinched, and she quickly backed away.

"Just...please...go!" Morty mumbled through his hands. He couldn't look at her anymore. _That asshole, I'm gonna kill him!_ was all Morty could think.

"O...okay," Eleanor said softly as she kept backing up until she was out the door, which she closed quietly behind her. "I'm sorry," she said again as she left, in a whisper.

Morty sat on the bed, still shaking with embarrassment and fury, until he threw the remote control against the wall.

"You-you sent me a _hooker_!?" Morty raged as he once again paced back and forth in front of Rick. "Wh-what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was thinking you would have the time of your life Morty," Rick muttered as he tousled one of the females' hair and winked at her. "Sadly seems like you were too much of a wimp to take the chance. Ah, well, can't blame a guy for trying, huh?"

"I'm _fifteen years old_ , Rick!" Morty shouted, his fists nearly digging into the skin of his hands, "I've never even kissed a girl yet!"

"All the more reason to go for it Morty!" Rick replied casually, leaning back further into the cushioned seat as one of the females whispered "sweet nothings" while licking his ear. "Here, h-have a swig of, of this stuff and-"

"NO!" Morty shouted, "I'm not drinking, I'm not having sex, and I'm not staying here! Screw this Rick! I'm getting a ride back home!"

To his shock and disbelief Rick started laughing. "Oh yeah? From who? You got the money to pay for a ride? It's a couple hundred lightyears that-a-way; that costs several hundred schmeckles-"

"Fine! Then I guess I'll just be waiting for you in the car!" Morty turned on his heels and stormed out of the room.

"Teenagers," Rick snorted under his breath with a roll of his eyes, looking over his shoulder back at the girls with disdain. "They reaaaally 'know it all', don't they?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Rick and Morty".

 **Author's Note:** Ever wondered when Morty learned to fly ? Here's my take on it.

"Geez Morty, I hope you at least made use of your privacy all this time," Rick said bitterly as he finally joined Morty in the ship, after what had felt like hours.

"Rick! That's, like, none of your business, okay?" Morty crossed his arms in a desperate attempt to preserve his dignity. "Let's just get going, okay? This place blows."

"I think what 'blows' Morty is your lack of enthusiasm on this trip," Rick retorted blandly as he settled into the driver's seat and started the engine. "You, you really offended those women back there, because, well, for reasons beyond my comprehension they actually wanted to get to know you."

"They...they did?" Morty's face flushed brightly as they rose into the air, taking off into the sky. "I-I don't know what to say Rick-"

"How about for starters, saying what a little ungrateful slug you've become to me and maybe- _maybe_ -I'll let it slide. _This_ time _._ " Rick was fumbling for a station on the radio as he spoke, and as he did so, the ship wobbled a little, tilting first to the left, then slightly to the right.

"Rick! Will you watch where you're going?"

"Tell me how to run my ship, Morty, when you actually earn your driver's license. And then you can also _not_ tell me how to run my own ship."

"Rick I-"

"OW!"

Morty glanced over at Rick with shock, as his grandfather was suddenly was gasping and holding his side, as though he'd gotten shot. "RICK!" Morty shouted, "what-what's wrong?! A-a-a-a-are you okay-"

"Fuck!" Rick shouted, hissing the words through clenched teeth, wincing, "Does it- _look_ -like I'm 'okay' Morty!? I-I think I may-might be having-a-a-a-a- _heart attack_ , Morty! Quick-you, y-y-y-you gotta take over the controls-please-just do it Morty! D-Do it for Grandpa, Morty!"

"Oh no, oh my gosh! _RICK_!" Morty felt all color drain from his face as he watched his grandfather writhing about in the seat, clearly in an immensely crippling amount of pain. _Fly?_ Him? He'd never flown a day in his life. "Wha-wh-wh-wh-what do I do?" Morty gasped, eyes wide as he looked about wildly at all the buttons on the dashboard.

"JESUS Morty! It's not fucking rocket scie- _OW_! SHIT-Fuuuuck!" Rick shouted as he clutched at his chest. "You-you just take both hands and, and put them on the wheel-you, you've seen me do it like, like a hundred times! Morty, we gotta, we gotta land this fucker down-right over there!"

"O-o-okay," Morty said shakily as he placed his trembling hands on the wheel, glancing fearfully over his shoulder at Rick, who was panting heavily and still holding his chest. "Oh God Rick!" Morty tried to steady the wheel but his hands were shaking terribly, "I-I don't know if I can do this-"

"You, you have to, Morty! So we can land and you can call for assistance! See, see that building, right down there?" Rick, his eyes half open, pointed ahead in their general direction.

"Y-yes?" Morty could hardly focus on what he was doing but he could see a building ahead in the distance.

"Land, land her right there, right next to that building! OW!" Rick howled.

"Okay! Okay!" Morty gripped the wheel tight, but then a terrible realization dawned on him. "But-but Rick! I don't know how to land!"

"It's fine, Morty, it's fine! Just-just push the wheel a little forward and, and you'll-OW!-bring her down steadily."

"O-Okay!" Morty cried as he did as he was told, and, miraculously, it worked-he was actually flying the ship himself, bringing it down to the ground at a smooth descent-and if it weren't for Rick about to die in the seat next to him if they didn't get help soon, he would have been thrilled, but Rick was all he could think about.

The wheels impacted with the ground, finally, and though the landing was a little rough, the ship eventually came to a complete stop-as Morty, to his relief, managed to slam his foot on the breaks.

"Okay-I-I'll go run inside and find out where the nearest hospital is!" Morty turned for the door but Rick's hand stopped him, much to Morty's surprise, pulling him back into his seat. "Rick!" Morty shouted, "I gotta go find help-"

He stopped when he saw the look on Rick's face, which immediately confused him. This wasn't the face of somebody who was having a heart attack. It wasn't the face of someone who was gripped by unbearable, life-threatening pain. No, this was the face of someone who had just triumphed, the face of someone who had set a goal and succeeded. And that was when Morty realized the awful truth:

He'd been duped.

There was no pain. Rick had tricked him. Morty wasn't sure whether to be relieved or enraged. He simply sat there in shock, blinking in horror at his grandfather.

"Yeah," Rick shrugged, as though he had been questioned, "So, I lied about the heart attack thingy-but hey, look, you never would have gotten the guts to take your first flying lesson if I hadn't, am I right?"

Nausea gripped Morty's insides. For a moment he couldn't move. Once his stomach finally settled back down, he turned and looked Rick dead straight in the eye. "You're an asshole," Morty muttered flatly. "I want to go home now."

"Aw come on don't be like that!" Rick gave Morty a quick nudge in the ribs, adding with a smile, "For what it's worth, you did a pretty good job landing her on your first try."

Morty blinked at that-was that an actual compliment from his grandfather? "You...you really think so?" Morty asked, turning back towards Rick in surprise.

"Yeah-you know, I might even let you take 'er home."

"R-really?" Morty blinked with shock at the offer.

"No biggie," Rick shrugged, looking amused by his grandson's excitement. "Anyways-where we're going after this, I'm gonna need a designated driver."

"Really, Rick? you'd let me-wow!" Morty gushed, suddenly feeling like a little kid again, "that-that's amazing!"

"Yeah, yeah. Now this bar you so expertly landed us at, Morty, is run by a friend of mine-Fredrick-he'll hook us up with the best drinks in the universe. Let's go."

"Alright!" Morty, eager now, hopped out of the seat and followed Rick across the parking lot and into the dusky-looking bar. "But-I'm only 15!" he whispered as they walked up to the counter.

"Planet Za follows different rules Morty," Rick reminded him with a wink as he pointed to the spot next to him. "Pick your poison and pull up a seat."

So without any more hesitation, Morty did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer:** I don't own "Rick and Morty".

 **Author's Note:** Thanks for reading, everyone! Get ready for some feels...

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

By nightfall, Rick was already half past sloshed, and Morty was wondering if they were ever going to go home. "Uh...Rick? I...kinda have...school...tomorrow," Morty reminded timidly as he watched Rick down his umpteenth shot of alcohol.

Rick, however, seemed so lost in his stupor that he barely heard Morty; he'd been mumbling incoherently on and off and drooling obliviously on the countertop.

"Looks like it's closing time for Ricko." Frederick, the owner, made the announcement as he came over to check on them for what seemed like the hundredth time. He was, to Morty's surprise, a pretty descent fellow, and that made it easier to accept that he was part tree stump and part slug. "You gonna be okay driving him home?"

Morty smiled at the thought. "Yeah...actually." He looked back at Rick with concern, adding. "He...hasn't gotten this bad in awhile."

"No explanation needed," Frederick replied (much to Morty's relief.)

"How do you know my Grandpa?" The words kind of just flew out of his mouth. He wasn't even sure why he cared; it's just that he wasn't sure what else to talk about, with Rick passed out by his side.

"Me and Rick? Ah." Frederick smiled. "We go waaay back kid. I was even one of his Best Men at his wedding."

Morty blinked with surprise-Rick? Married? He'd almost forgotten about his grandmother; nobody ever talked about her. She'd died before he was born so he'd never gotten to meet her. His mother didn't like to talk about her own mother-for whatever reason-except once, when he was little, she'd told him distinctly never to bring her up to Rick. (Naturally Morty, being a young boy at the time, had been curious as to why, but never thought to ask; he'd had to let it slide as simply being a sore subject, and it was never brought up again.)

"So..." Morty hesitated for a moment (did he really want to know?) "...you knew my Grandmother, then, right?"

"Yep," Frederick smiled fondly as he leaned back a little and gazed wistfully off into his own memories, "Lela...what a catch! Your grandfather sure knew how to pick 'em." Frederick shook his head with amusement. "She was one fiery redhead, that's for sure! She loved confrontation and heat, so she could handle herself well in a battle-and she was as close to an intellectual equal as your grandfather could get." Frederick whistled a low, elongated sigh through his teeth, before adding (was that hesitation in his voice?) "In fact...your grandfather met her, right here, at this very spot."

Morty blinked with surprise and shock. "What? R-really? Right here?" He stole a quick glance at Rick to make sure he was still sleeping; he knew Rick would be furious if he knew he was being spoken of behind his back, especially about private things he'd never want anybody to know.

"Yep-they met here, and they had their first date at a fancy dive not too far from here, at a place called...wait...let me think...oh yes! The Silken Cocoon it was." (At the sound of the familiar name, Morty gasped, but Frederick hardly noticed. The slug-like creature simply stood there, clicking his tongue against his cheek thoughtfully as he combed back through the years, "Yessiree, they had their first date, then second, then third, and, before you knew it, he'd made his proposal, and they got married, and had their honeymoon at one of our planet's best resorts. Your grandfather, I'll never forget the look on his face when he said 'I Do', it was like, I didn't even know who this guy was-he was so friggin' over-the-moon kind of happy."

It was then that Frederick noticed the sudden, heavy-lidded sunken look of sadness in Morty's eyes. "Hey...don't worry kid," Frederick allowed gently, quickly handing over a glass of ice water to Morty, "sometimes things just don't work out...and he would have come back right away, if he'd have known about the cancer."

"What...the _cancer_?" Morty blurted before quickly looking away, staring pointedly down into the glass. _So Rick hadn't had a chance to say goodbye...by the time he had left, she was already probably sick, and by the time he came back, it was too late._ Morty brushed at the tears threatening to fall from his eyelids. He hadn't known...and now he regretted knowing at all. _That still didn't explain why he'd left to begin with._ It was something Morty knew his mom still hadn't entirely gotten over yet, and something that his father doubted she ever would. He knew he'd probably never know, but that was okay with him (given everything else that had happened already, it was probably a pretty depressing story anyway).

"Yeah...I can't remember which kind of cancer it was, but it advanced pretty quickly after...well...after your grandfather left." Frederick looked sad then, and Morty kicked himself mentally for having asked to begin with.

"They had such a good time when they came here though," Frederick said suddenly, "they'd come back here once, every year, for their anniversary-wait!" Frederick started, "I think...this month would have been their...fortieth?...or something like that..."

 _Once, every year...for their anniversary..._ A sinking feeling, a suspicion, had begun to take hold in Morty's gut. "R-really? Oh, geeze..." was all he could mutter as he glanced sideways at his grandfather-Rick was still out cold-and suddenly Morty was feeling sadder than he had in a very long time. _So, he'd been a substitute? A kind of stand-in for his grandmother-so that Rick could revisit all their favorite haunts..._

"I think he once told me-I couldn't believe it myself-that Lela's favorite spot on the whole planet was this place called the Za Pits-it's where-"

"-yeah, I know it," Morty mumbled, "it's a s-swamp, Rick just-showed me." Morty felt like an idiot. He'd known there was something strange about the whole day-the way Rick had looked when he gazed out over that tarry wasteland, like he'd found some magnificent treasure.

A sudden jab to his side startled Morty out of reverie as Rick woke up suddenly from his 'nap', blinking dazedly at the two with a surprised, if not uncommonly bewildered, expression. "Fr-Fred? What theee hell..." Rick swiped at the drool sliding down one cheek and blinked at Morty. "M-Morty?"

Morty couldn't speak.

"Man-I had-had the wickedest dream-" Rick shook his whole body as though to rid himself of its images. "Thought I was with..." Rick looked back over at Morty, then fell silent, but there was no need to finish the sentence; the sadness that overcame Rick's expression was enough to tell Morty what he'd meant.

"Took a doze didja Ricko?" Frederick smirked at his long-time friend. "You know you two better get home-isn't it a school night?"

"Et tu Frederico?" Rick snorted, as he slowly pulled himself from the bar in a feeble attempt at a standing position. Morty took one of Rick's arms by his hand, placing it around his shoulders to give Rick support.

"Ah Rick." Frederick patted Rick gently on the back, "you guys get home safe, Morty, ya hear?"

"Yeah, we will-th-thanks Fred," Morty smiled gratefully with relief over his shoulder. "C'mon Rick let's go home."

"What-really MoURGHty-you're ready to go home already?"

"C'mon," Morty tugged at his grandfather as he led him out of the bar, "I'll stop us for ice cream on the way home."

"Hmmm..." Rick said, half awake as he leaned against Morty's small frame, as Morty somehow managed to balance him all the way to the car. "Ice cream...sounds good."

It did sound good, and Morty needed a treat like ice cream after a day like this one...

But he knew that Rick needed it more.

So they left and got ice cream, and Morty didn't bring up what he'd learned. Rick slept on the way home, and when they got there, Morty somehow managed to put his grandfather in bed, tuck him in, and give him a small kiss on the forehead.

"Morty? That you?" It was his mother, calling him as he tiptoed ever-so-carefully out of Rick's bedroom (clearly, not careful enough).

"Y-yeah Mom it's me." _For some reason, nobody had bothered him about being gone for a few hours when he should have been home from school, studying._

"Morty can you come here please?" _OH great...here it comes..._

He slunk into her room, feeling like a puppy with its tail between its legs. "I'm...sorry I wasn't home but..."

"It's okay Morty," his mother said, coming up to him, and to his surprise, she put her arms around him and drew him in close.

"...Mom...?" Morty questioned with concern (his mother wasn't one to hug very often, if ever). "...are you...okay?"

"Thank you, Morty," his mother whispered in a choke-sounding voice, "for spending time with Rick today."

And that was when it dawned on Morty with an aching realization: _She knows we were gone all day. And she knows why._

"Don't give up on him, Morty." His mother's voice was wet, and Morty knew better than to look at her for fear he might embarrass her if he saw the tears. "Your grandpa...he's a bit messed up, but he's...he's a good person...when it counts."

Morty was stunned to hear her say these words; they begged him to return with, _But what about when he left you when you were young? How can you say 'when it counts' when he did something like that?_ But he didn't say any of those things. Instead, he relaxed into his mother's soft hug, knowing that she'd acknowledged something he'd done, and was, for the first time in a long time, talking to him like he wasn't a little boy anymore.

They stayed that way for some time, not speaking, and then his mother took him into the kitchen and made him hot chocolate with marshmallows, and they sat together sipping at their drinks, and the hot chocolate filled his stomach with warmth almost as much as his mother's hug.

And Morty was feeling better than he had in a very, very long time.


End file.
